Rotatable wakeboard support

ABSTRACT

A wakeboard support includes a clamp fixed a substantially vertical standard on a boat. The clamp has an outside surface that is substantially rotationally symmetric about an axis aligned with the standard. A collar surrounds the clamp. The collar has an inside surface reflecting the clamp outside surface allowing rotation of the collar around the clamp and standard. The collar outside surface has support members adapted to carry a wakeboard. A lock is coupled to the collar and engaged with the clamp to fix the collar at selected positions around the standard.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to devices for the support and storage of sporting equipment, and particularly to an apparatus for storing wakeboards and water skis in a boat.

2. General Background

Wakeboarding is an aquatic sport in which a wakeboarding enthusiast stands on a wakeboard, similar in appearance to a snowboard or skateboard, while being towed from a ski boat with a speed sufficient to allow the wakeboard to support the user on the surface of the water. As such, wakeboarding is closely related to water skiing on a single or slalom ski. Wakeboards differ from slalom skis by being wider and shorter than a slalom ski, and wakeboards have upwardly-curved back ends which facilitate a wider variety of wakeboarding maneuvers or tricks. Wakeboards, like slalom water skis, have two boot-like bindings to receive the skier's feet and a downwardly-extending fin at the bottom rear of the wakeboard which provides the user with both lateral stability and maneuverability.

While generally shorter than water skis, wakeboards still take up a considerable amount of space when not in use, particularly in relatively compact ski boats. When individual wakeboarders desire to use a variety of different wakeboards, carrying these wakeboards in a ski boat is rather cumbersome. These wakeboards alone, or in combination with water skis, simply tend to pile up and to occupy an undesirably large percentage of space on the floor of the water ski boat. Since each wake board and slalom water ski has two upwardly-projecting bindings or boots attached to the top surface, they are also quite difficult to effectively stack. In addition, haphazardly piling wakeboards and slalom water skis, one upon another, tends to scratch or damage both the boots and the board surfaces which are often decorated or finely finished. Furthermore, boating safety becomes somewhat compromised since persons in the boat can easily trip over loose or poorly stacked wakeboards.

To reduce these problems, racks have been designed to hold several wakeboards and slalom skis in an organized fashion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,133 to Mareno discloses a wakeboard rack fixed to a vertically extending tow pylon. The rack includes a collar that is fixed to the vertically extending tow pylon. A plurality of spaced apart support arms or members are connected to the collar and adapted to support at least one horizontally oriented wakeboard. A plurality of attaching members, which are preferably either flexible hook and loop type attaching straps or resiliently flexible cords, are connected to the support arms and having a length sufficient to wrap around the wakeboard to secure the wakeboard to the rack.

While the Mareno apparatus performs the intended function, the actual placement of the wakeboard in the rack, or the withdrawal of the wakeboard from the rack, can be very awkward, particularly when there are only one or two people involved in the wakeboarding activity, one of which is in the water, not in the boat. What is needed is a better wakeboard rack that will facilitate the placement and withdrawal of a wakeboard or slalom ski while inside the boat.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A wakeboard support of the present invention is intended for use on a boat having a substantially vertical standard. The standard can form a portion of a wakeboard towing frame or tower. The term wakeboard is not intended to limiting of the function of the support as the support can also be employed to store slalom water skis and other water sports equipment on board a boat. The wakeboard support of the present invention includes a clamp that can be fixed to such a standard at a suitable position. The clamp has an outside surface that is substantially rotationally symmetric about an axis aligned with the standard to which the clamp is secured. A collar is adapted to surround the clamp. The collar has an inside surface, adapted to confront the outside surface of the clamp, that generally reflects the geometry of the clamp outside surface allowing rotation of the collar around the clamp and any standard to which the clamp is fixed. The collar also has an outside surface including support members adapted to carry a wakeboard. A lock is provided that can be coupled to the collar and engaged with the clamp to fix the collar at selected positions around the clamp.

The clamp can take the form of a pair of semi-cylindrical segments with coupling elements, such as threaded fasteners, coupling the pair of segments together at any selected fixed position on the standard. The clamp outer surface can include an upper protruding ring and a lower protruding ring separated by an indented cylindrical surface. The clamp outside surface can also include at least one substantially horizontal portion, while the collar inside surface includes at least one substantially horizontal portion engaging the corresponding portion on the clamp, for supporting the collar against downward displacement due to gravity. At least one of the substantially horizontal portions of the clamp outside surface can be formed by an upper surface of the lower protruding ring. A plurality of spaced holes can be provided on the clamp outer surface for engagement by the lock.

The collar outside surface can include a planar segment, with the support members being coupled, directly or indirectly, to the planar segment. The support members on the collar outside surface can be upward inclined to provide a gravitational force toward the standard on any wakeboard or other water sports equipment placed thereon. The support members can take the form of two unitary forks having tines vertically spaced from each other, the unitary forks being fixed to the collar outside surface. The support members can take the form shown in my co-pending design application Ser. No. 29/208431, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The collar can include an opening between the outside surface and the inside surface of the collar, with the lock being aligned to penetrate the opening to contact the clamp.

The lock can take the form of a pin than is inserted into the collar opening. The opening in the collar can lie in the same common horizontal plane as the holes in the clamp outer surface so that the lock pin can be aligned to penetrate the opening in the collar to contact any of the holes in the clamp. A biasing member can be provided to supply a force between the lock and the collar urging the lock into engagement with the clamp. A handle can be provided on the lock that enables one to manually disengage the lock from contact with the clamp. The handle can also be used to facilitate rotation of the collar and support members around the clamp and standard to facilitate placement or withdrawal of a wakeboard.

Other features and advantages of the present system will be come apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which can be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ski boat having a tow tower including two wakeboard racks of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the wakeboard racks shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of a clamp used in a wakeboard rack of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partially broken away, of the clamp of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view, partially broken away, of a collar designed to cooperate with the clamp of FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of one half of the collar shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded assembly view of the clamp and collar of FIGS. 3-6.

FIG. 8 is a back elevation view of a back board showing the connection between the back board and the collar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A boat 10 is shown in FIG. 1 that has substantially vertical standards 12. Lower ends 14 of the standards 12 are coupled to a support 16 adjacent to the gunwales 18 of the boat 10. Upper ends 20 of the standards 12 are coupled together by a header 22. A bracing member 24 can be coupled between the header 22 and the prow 26 of the boat 10. The standards 12 and header 22 can form a tow-tower 28 to which lines or ropes, not shown, can be connected to tow water skiers and wakeboarders behind the boat 10.

Wakeboard racks 30 of the present invention are shown coupled to each of the standards 12. The wakeboard rack 30 on the port side 32 of the boat 10 is shown to be located in an inboard or deployment position while the wakeboard rack 30 on the starboard side 34 is shown to be located in an outboard or storage position. The wakeboard racks 30 of the present invention can be rotated about the standards 12 so that they can be selectively located at a number of positions, including the two illustrated positions, relative to the boat 10 to facilitate placement and withdrawal of a wakeboard 36 or other water sports device on the rack 30. With the wakeboard rack 30 rotated to the outboard or storage position, the available room within the boat 10 for passengers is maximized.

A wakeboard rack 30 of the present invention is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2. The rack 30 includes a collar 38 that has an outside surface 40 that can include a planar segment 42 shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. A substantially planar back board 44 can be secured to the outside surface 40 of the collar 38, and preferably to the planar segment 42. The planar back board 44 can be secured to the planar segment 42 by the fastening elements 86, 88 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. A pair of support members 46 can be coupled directly to the planar segment of the collar 38 or to a first surface 43 of the back board 44. The back board 44 permits the pair of support members 46 to be spaced from each other by a distance that can be greater than the distance that might be achieved were the support members 46 secured directly to the collar planar segment 42. The support members 46 can be upward inclined to provide a gravitationally induced force toward the standard 12 on any wakeboard or other water sports equipment placed thereon. The planar segment 42 can also be inclined to provide a similar effect. The support members 46 can take the form of two unitary forks 48 having tines 50 that are vertically spaced from each other. The support members 46 can take the form shown in my co-pending design application Ser. No. 29/208431, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the support members 46 can also take the form of a simple multi-prong design.

The collar 38 is shown in an exploded view in FIG. 7 along with an exploded view of a clamp 52 that can be secured to a standard 12 at any desired height. The clamp 52, which is also shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, can take the form of a pair of semi-cylindrical sectors 54 with coupling elements 56, such as threaded fasteners, coupling the pair of sectors 54 together at any selected fixed position on the standard 12. The clamp 52 has an inside surface 53 that can be dimensioned to match substantially the dimensions of the outside surface 13 of the standard 12 to which the clamp 52 is to be fixed. The clamp 52 has an outer surface 58 that can include an upper protruding ring 60 and a lower protruding ring 62 separated by an indented cylindrical surface 64. The clamp outside surface 58 can also include substantially horizontal portions 66 that connect the protruding rings 60 and 62 to the indented cylindrical surface 64. In addition to various openings 68 provided to receive the coupling elements 56, a plurality of spaced holes 70 can be provided on the clamp outer surface 58 for engagement by a lock 72, which is shown in FIG. 2. The outside surface 58 of the clamp 52 is substantially rotationally symmetric about an axis Y, which is aligned with the standard 12 around which the clamp 52 is secured.

The collar 38, which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 through 7, is adapted to surround the clamp 52. The collar 38 can be formed by two sectors 37 and 39 that can be coupled together by fasteners 41, which can also engage backboard 44. Sector 37 can include the planar segment 42. Both sectors 37 and 39 of the collar 38 have an inside surface 74 that is adapted to confront the outside surface 58 of the clamp 52. The inside surface 74 of the collar 38 can reflect the general geometry of the clamp outside surface 58 allowing rotation of the collar 38 around the clamp 52 and any standard 12 to which the clamp 52 is fixed. The inside surface 74 of the collar 38 can include substantially horizontal portions 76 for engaging the horizontal surfaces 66 on the clamp 52, for supporting the collar 38 against any downward displacement due to gravity. The substantially horizontal portions 76 can constitute the edges of channels 77 adapted to receive the protruding rings 60 and 62 of the clamp 52. The orientation of the collar 38 with respect to the clamp 52 and standard 12 is governed by the lock 72. Sector 39 of the collar 38 can include an opening 78 between the outside surface 40 and a channel 77 in the inside surface 74 of the collar 38.

The lock 72 can take the form of a pin 80 than is inserted into the opening 78 in the collar 38. The opening 78 in the collar 38 can lie in the same common horizontal plane as the holes 70 in the clamp outer surface 58 so that the lock pin 80 can be aligned to penetrate the opening 78 in the collar 38 to contact any of the holes 70 in the clamp 52. A biasing member 82 can be provided to supply a force between the lock 72 and the collar 38 urging the lock 72 into engagement with the clamp 52. A handle 84 can be provided on the lock 72 that enables one to manually disengage the lock 72 from contact with the clamp 52. The handle 84 can also be used to facilitate rotation of the collar 38 and support members 46 around the clamp 52 and standard 12 to facilitate placement or withdrawal of a wakeboard.

The planar segment 42 on the sector 37 of the collar 38 can include at least one fastener 86 for securing the back board 44 to the collar. Additional pin elements 88 can be fixed to the planar segment 42 to limit the tilt angle of the back board 44 with respect to the Y-axis of the collar 38. The fastener 86 can include an enlarged head 90 that can be received in a pocket or recess 92 within the back board 44 as shown in FIG. 8. Arcuate slots 94 can be provided in the second surface 45 of the back board 44 on either side of the recess 92 to receive the pin elements 88. The freedom of movement between the back board 44 and the sector 37 of the collar 38 can be controlled by providing frictional resistance between the surfaces 42 and 45 by adjusting the force applied through the fastener 86.

By use of a wakeboard rack of the present invention, the placement and withdrawal of a wakeboard or slalom ski is facilitated even when only one or two people are involved in the water sports activity, one of which is in the water, not in the boat. Additionally, once the wakeboard or slalom ski is stored in a wakeboard rack of the present invention, the rack can be easily rotated and locked so that the space within the boat is maximized.

The foregoing detailed description should be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and the following claims, including all equivalents, are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention. 

1. A wakeboard support for use on a boat having a substantially vertical standard, the wakeboard support comprising: a clamp adapted to be fixed to a standard, the clamp having an outside surface rotationally symmetric about an axis aligned with the standard, a collar adapted to surround the clamp, the collar having an outside surface adapted to receive support members adapted to carry a wakeboard, the collar having an inside surface, adapted to confront the outside surface of the clamp, reflecting the geometry of the clamp outside surface allowing rotation of the collar around the clamp and standard, and a lock adapted to be coupled to the collar and engaged with the clamp to fix the collar at selected positions around the clamp.
 2. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the clamp outer surface comprises an upper protruding ring and a lower protruding ring separated by an indented cylindrical surface.
 3. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the clamp outer surface includes a plurality of spaced holes for engagement by the lock.
 4. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the clamp comprises a pair of semi-cylindrical segments and coupling elements coupling the pair of segments together at a selected fixed position on the standard.
 5. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the collar outside surface comprises a planar segment, the support members being coupled to the planar segment.
 6. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the clamp outside surface includes at least one substantially horizontal portion, and the collar inside surface includes at least one substantially horizontal portion engaging the corresponding portion on the clamp for supporting the collar against downward displacement due to gravity.
 7. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the collar includes an opening between the outside surface and the inside surface of the collar, said lock being aligned to penetrate the opening to contact the clamp.
 8. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the lock comprises a biasing member providing a force between the lock and the collar urging the lock into engagement with the clamp.
 9. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the lock includes a handle for manipulation of the lock and collar.
 10. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the support members on the collar outside surface are upward inclined to provide a gravitational force toward the standard on any wakeboard placed thereon.
 11. The wakeboard support of claim 1 wherein the support members on the collar outside surface comprise two unitary forks having tines vertically spaced from each other, the unitary forks being fixed to the collar outside surface.
 12. The wakeboard support of claim 1 further comprising a back board coupled to the outside surface of the collar including said support members.
 13. The wakeboard support of claim 12 further comprising coupling elements coupling the back board and the collar together while allowing some limited pivotal movement between the back board and collar.
 14. A wakeboard support for use on a boat having a substantially vertical standard, the wakeboard support comprising: a clamp fixed to the standard, the clamp having an outside surface rotationally symmetric about an axis aligned with the standard, a collar surrounding the clamp, the collar having an outside surface including a substantially vertical planar segment, and two unitary forks having tines vertically spaced from each other, the unitary forks being fixed to the planar segment of the collar outside surface so that the tines are upward inclined to provide a gravitational force toward the standard on any wakeboard placed thereon, the collar having an inside surface confronting the outside surface of the clamp reflecting the geometry thereof allowing rotation of the collar around the clamp and standard, and a lock coupled to the collar and engagable with the clamp to fix the collar at selected positions around the clamp.
 15. The wakeboard support of claim 14 wherein the clamp outer surface comprises an upper protruding ring and a lower protruding ring separated by an indented cylindrical surface, the clamp comprising a pair of semi-cylindrical segments, and coupling elements within the upper and lower protruding rings coupling the pair of segments together at a selected fixed position on the standard.
 16. The wakeboard support of claim 15 wherein each of the protruding rings includes a substantially horizontal surface portion, and the collar inside surface includes at least two substantially horizontal portions engaging the corresponding portions on the clamp for supporting the collar against downward displacement due to gravity.
 17. The wakeboard support of claim 14 wherein the clamp outer surface includes a plurality of spaced holes lying in a common horizontal plane, and wherein the collar includes an opening between the outside surface and the inside surface of the collar, the opening in the collar lying in the same common horizontal plane as the holes in the clamp outer surface, said lock being aligned to penetrate the opening in the collar to contact any of the holes in the clamp.
 18. The wakeboard support of claim 17 wherein the lock comprises a pin projecting into the opening in the collar and a biasing member coupled between the collar and the lock providing a force urging the pin into engagement with the clamp, and a handle for withdrawing the pin from any hole in the collar.
 19. The wakeboard support of claim 14 further comprising a back board imposed between the unitary forks and the planar segment of the collar.
 20. The wakeboard support of claim 19 further comprising coupling elements coupling the back board and planar segment of the collar together while allowing some limited pivotal movement between the back board and planar segment. 